Accidents & Disasters – Monthly Newsletter March 2011

CHICAGO (GaeaTimes.com)- The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard watch from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday owing to the bad weather condition in Chicago. The officials reported that foot snow is expected along with rough winds of 40-miles-an-hour. The Weather Service officials said that this could be the third worst blizzard in Chicago.
Tom Skilling, … Read : Chicago Blizzard To Rock U.S..

NAGPUR – Exactly a week after the additional collector of Nashik district was burnt alive by the oil mafia, a team of 10 policemen were Tuesday attacked by a kerosene seller and his men here, police said.

HYDERABAD – A dozen prisoners of Cherlapally Central Jail here were Tuesday booked for attacking prison officials a day earlier. After police baton charged the attackers, two political parties have alleged it was an “assault on Muslim prisoners”.

BAREILLY – Thousands of aspirants for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) here Tuesday indulged in arson and vandalism alleging mismanagement in the force’s recruitment drive, an official said.

“Angry over arrangements made by the ITBP for recruitment of Grade IV posts, candidates targeted a number of vehicles, setting some of them afire. The candidates also …. Source : ITBP aspirants go on rampage.

PATNA – Health services in Bihar were severely hit Tuesday as hundreds of junior doctors continued their indefinite strike for the second day, demanding the arrest of a legislator and enforcement of the medical protection act.

Bogota, Feb 1 (IANS/EFE) Five people were killed and 10 wounded when an assailant opened fire in a dance hall during carnival celebrations in the southern Colombian town of Tuquerres, an official said.

The dead were all members of a single family, said Fabio Trujillo, an official of the Nario provincial government.
The massacre followed [..] Read the original article: here.

Monterrey (Mexico), Feb 1 (IANS/EFE) Army troops found the partially burned bodies of six men on a highway outside Monterrey, the capital of the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, police said.

The bodies were found just after midday Sunday on the Monterrey-Colombia highway in Escobedo, a city in the Monterrey metropolitan area, said the …. Source article on Gaea Times at : 6 partially burned bodies found in Mexico.

NEW DELHI – The Delhi Police Monday registered a case accusing a junior resident doctor of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences of molesting an eight-year-old boy who had come to the hospital for treatment, an official said. The FIR has been filed on the basis of a complaint registered by the boy’s father.

BANKURA – Suspected Maoists shot dead one person while three rebels surrendered in West Bengals Bankura district Monday, police said.

The body of a villager earlier abducted by suspected Maoists was found in Sutan village under Barikul police station. He had been shot dead, Superintendent of Police Pranav Kumar told IANS over phone.
Another …. Original source : Suspected Maoists kill villager.

KATHMANDU – A 32-year-old man from western Nepal has been arrested for defrauding four banks in what he said was a bid to take revenge against Nepal’s Maoist party for allegedly causing him to be sacked from the Indian Army.

Ishwari Prasad Pokhrel, who claims to have served with the Indian Army for five years …. Source : Gaea News Network.

ISLAMABAD – Recounting a harrowing tale of rape, torture and exploitation, a Pakistani woman who escaped after a year in captivity says she was sold to someone new every few months since being abducted by her husband’s friend.

“Every few months I was sold off to someone new and eventually I even began to forget … Read more >>>.

CHICAGO (GaeaTimes.com)- As heavy snow storm and gusty winds engulfed the city of Chicago and many other states surrounding it, the Government of the country is leaving no stones unturned to ensure the safety of the citizens. The Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn has already declared a State of Emergency to ensure safety of …. Source : Gaea News Network.

NEW DELHI – DMK leader and former communications minister A. Raja was Wednesday questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the the 2G spectrum scam for the second time this week.

CHICAGO (GaeaTimes.com)- The National Weather Service predicted two days back that a massive blizzard would hit the city of Chicago along with 30 other states all across the country in 48 hours. A monster blizzard with 20 inches of snow, whiteout condition and 60 mph winds hit the area on Tuesday. The Governors … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Chicago Blizzard Slams U.S..

LUCKNOW – Three more youths succumbed to their injuries in the train rooftop accident in Uttar Pradesh, taking the death toll to 17, officials said Wednesday. The authorities continue to pass the buck over why hundreds of youths were allowed to sit atop a train, which led to the victims being crushed by an overbridge.

SITAPUR – A government doctor, who had just got engaged, allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his residence here, police said Wednesday.

Ashish Rajani, 28, posted at the Sitapur district hospital, took the step Tuesday.
“After his engagement ceremony in Lucknow, Ashish returned Tuesday and joined his duty. We are … Original source on Gaea Times at : Government doctor hangs self in Uttar Pradesh.

NASHIK – Two pilots were killed when a defence helicopter crashed into a thickly-populated residential area of this city Wednesday morning, police said.

The chopper crashed on a private bungalow shed in the Jai Bhavani Nagar area, little before 9 a.m., the Nashik police said.
The cause of the accident or the identity of the [..] Read the original article: here.

Cancun (Mexico), Feb 2 (IANS/EFE) A Canadian tourist was seriously injured when a shark attacked her off a beach in Cancun resort city in Mexico, officials said.

The emergency management office said the 38-year-old woman was attacked Monday when she was riding a water bike with other tourists off the Park Royal Hotel.
The woman … Original article on : Shark attacks tourist in Mexico.

MUMBAI – Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan allegedly made undue recommendations to allow allocation to civilians in the scam-hit Adarsh Society during his tenure as the state’s revenue minister, said the FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

GHAZIABAD – A man was killed when three trucks parked in a row caught fire on G.T. Road here, police said Tuesday.

A truck was being loaded with goods near Lal Kuan Monday night when Shakku, the truck helper, accidentally touched an overhead high-tension wire triggering sparking which led to the fire.
The driver Naushad [..] Read the original article: here.

NEW DELHI – A 25-year-old man was stabbed allegedly by his brother-in-law in east Delhi Tuesday evening as he was angry over the victim having an affair with his niece, police said.

The incident took place in Kalyanpuri when Daler Singh, a 30-year-old autorickshaw driver stabbed Gaurav, 25, a resident of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Youth stabbed by brother-in-law.

SYDNEY – Suburbs and hospitals in Cairns city in Australia were being emptied in a mass flight from the “deadly” power of tropical Cyclone Yasi, as it began lashing the far north Queensland coast, a media report said Tuesday.

QUEENSLAND (GaeaTimes.com)- The Category 5 Cyclone Yasi hit the shores of Queensland on Wednesday midnight and left thousands of people homeless. However, the meteorologists reported that the Cyclone Yasi has diminished to category 1 storm on Thursday and it is expected to bring in heavy rain in Queensland. The weather forecast of the upcoming … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Australia Storm To Bring Rain.

“By holding the ITBP aspirants responsible for the accident, the state government or the ITBP or any government agency linked to the recruitment drive can’t wash … Original source on Gaea Times at : We want enquiry, say survivors of train tragedy.

QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA (GaeaTimes.com)- The prime minister of Australia Julia Gillard assured the residents of Queensland of all possible help in rebuilding their homes and compensation for the damage they suffered from Cyclone Yasi. The weather experts agreed that it was the worst tropical storm to hit Queensland in a century. Before being hit by … Original source on Gaea Times at : Australian Cyclone Yasi’s Victims Promised Help.

NEW DELHI – Former communications minister A. Raja, arrested for his role in the award of spectrum to telecom players that has been dubbed the biggest scam in Indian history, was Thursday presented in the Patiala House Court along with his two aides.

Raja and his aides — former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura and … Read more »».

ISLAMABAD – A Pakistani jail’s former superintendent and a deputy superintendent have escaped from police custody, after the Lahore High Court turned down their bail plea in a case related to eleven missing inmates, a media report said.

MOHALI – Punjab Police have filed cases against a mother-daughter duo for duping at least six people of several lakhs of rupees on the pretext of helping them get permanent residency in Canada, police said here Thursday.

According to the police, the accused have been identified as Sukhwinder Kaur and her daughter Sumeet Kaur. They … Read more >>.

PATNA – Navlesh Pathak, editor of an English weekly arrested for the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Raj Kishore Kesri, Thursday went on an indefinite fast at Bihar’s Purnia jail to protest the poor quality of food served to him.

CHICAGO (GaeaTimes.com)- Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive was closed Tuesday evening after three unfortunate accidents took place and whiteout conditions turned it misleading. The commuters were stranded on the road for about 12 hours and the authorities say that about 700 to 900 cars were abandoned on the road. Mayor Richard Daley’s chief staff Raymond … Read : Lake Shore Drive Closed.

A total of 23,141 tweets from 10,000 people were posted in the past 24 hours, The Age reported Thursday.
Others turned to Facebook to seek help with the most popular page, Cyclone Yasi Update, garnering close to … Read : Aussies take to Facebook amid disaster.

KOLKATA – Five people were injured Thursday morning when a portion of an old multi-storey building collapsed in central Kolkata, police said.

The building collapsed in Indian Exchange Place area. The injured were admitted to the hospital. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot and had started the rescue operations.
“Five people were injured when …. Source : Gaea News Network.

TORONTO – A Canadian man has been locked up for six months for beating his puppy to death.

A court in Victoria, which is the capital of British Columbia province, Wednesday sentenced 24-year-old Brent Malcolm Connors for beating his dog to death last month.
“I am really sorry for what’s happened. It really affected me. … Read more »»».

Rio de Janeiro, Feb 3 (IANS/EFE) The toll due to mudslides triggered by heavy rains that have deluged the mountainous region of the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro has risen to 869, authorities said.

The floods and mudslides have killed 418 people in Nova Friburgo, 354 in Teresopolis, 71 in Petropolis, 21 in Sumidouro, [..] Read the original article: here.

NEW DELHI – A man has been arrested in north Delhi for kidnapping an eight-year-old boy and throwing him in front of a train, police said Wednesday. The child survived but his right hand had to be amputated.

NOIDA – Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway Authority area in Uttar Pradesh will soon have an integrated communication and intelligence system to support crime control and traffic management, an official said Wednesday.

GUWAHATI – From cymbals to placards, many things made an unusual appearance in the Assam assembly Friday as part of vociferous opposition protests to demand the dismissal of ministers allegedly involved in the multimillion rupee scam in North Cachar Hills district.

HYDERABAD – Income Tax officials Friday searched the homes and offices of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP Nama Nageswara Rao across several cities including Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, New Delhi and Hyderabad.

Suspecting tax evasion, IT sleuths conducted simultaneous searches at the residences and premises of the companies owned by Rao at Khammam and in major …. Source article on Gaea Times at : IT searches homes, offices of TDP MP.

PANAJI – A now suspended Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) officer sold drugs from a police warehouse in Goa to foreign clients, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was informed in a letter that was tabled in the state assembly Friday.

PATNA – Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislator Surendra Prasad Yadav surrendered in a Gaya court Friday, the fifth day of the junior doctors strike in the state after his security guards allegedly fired at interns of a medical college.

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Friday issued notice to the central and Tamil Nadu governments on a petition seeking compensation for the 94 students who died in a fire in a primary school in Tamil Nadu’s Kumbakonam town in July 2004.

LUCKNOW – The Uttar Pradesh Police late Thursday lodged criminal cases against 20,000 unidentified youth for allegedly going on rampage in Bareilly city after a last minute cancellation of a recruitment rally by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and also causing overcrowding of trains, leading to a serious accident that left 19 aspirants dead.

DHARAMSALA – Himachal Pradesh Police Thursday arrested a couple in New Delhi in connection with seizure of Rs.1 crore from two people that was meant as part-payment by the Karmapa’s trust to buy land in Kangra district, police said.

KANPUR – Two men were arrested in this Uttar Pradesh city Thursday with counterfeit currency having a face value of over Rs.4 lakh, police said.

Sanjeev Awasthi and Ramu were arrested from Collectorganj area with fake currency notes with a face value of Rs.4.21 lakh.
“Prima facie it appears that the two worked for an …. Original article on Gaea Times at : Two arrested with fake currency.

RAIPUR – A town in Chhattisgarhs Bilaspur district observed a total shutdown Thursday to protest the killing of a constable, when he went to a village to apprehend some people accused of theft. A sub-inspector was also killed in the incident.

A four-member Railway Protection Force (RPF) team was attacked Wednesday when they tried … Read more >>.

NEW DELHI – A 56-year-old man, identified as the paternal uncle of 26/11 martyr Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, attempted self-immolation outside the Parliament House Thursday evening allegedly disturbed over the government’s response towards the victims of the Mumbai terror attacks.

NEW DELHI – A 14-year old girl was raped by a neighbour in Mehrauli in south Delhi, police said Thursday.

The incident took place at around 5.40 p.m. Wednesday at Paryavaran apartments in Mehrauli locality. The accused has been identified as Prabhat Kumar, 20.
The accused was a neighbour of the victim. Wednesday, when the … Read more »»».

GHAZIABAD – Thirty Dalit students of a privately-run institute in Ghaziabad, affiliated to the Uttar Pradesh Technical University, were forced to tonsure their heads as the state government delayed payment of their fees, a student said Thursday. The institute has denied the allegations.

ISLAMABAD – Islamabad has told Washington that it needs time to decide the case of Raymond Davis who shot dead two Pakistanis in Lahore late last month.

The government, which is yet to decide on whether Davis enjoys diplomatic immunity, has informed the US about domestic compulsions as well as public backlash to any move [..] Read the original article: here.

Cairo, Feb 5 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The Egyptian Army has stopped the gas flow at a pipeline in Egypt’s North Sinai following an explosion, the governor of the province said Saturday.

The explosion at the pipeline, which supplies gas to Israel, occurred Saturday morning near the Egyptian town of El Arish, close to the Egyptian-Israeli border.
… Read more : Blast at Egypt gas pipeline.

KOLKATA – Notices have been served on 17 Indians suspected of having stashed black money in tax havens abroad but it will not be possible to reveal their names as yet, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Saturday.

SRINAGAR – The killing of a civilian in an army ambush for guerrillas triggered protests in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district Saturday morning even as the army said the accidental death was “regrettable”.

HISAR – An Oman national was arrested from near the military area of Haryana’s Hisar town on suspicion of being a spy, police said Saturday.

According to police, the accused has been identified as Hasan Bin Abdullah Abrahim and he was staying here illegally for the last one month.
“Acting on a tip-off, we arrested …. Original source : Oman national held in Haryana.

NEW DELHI – Three members of a family, including two children, were injured in a cylinder blast in a west Delhi house, police said Saturday.

The blast took place in Veena Enclave of Nangloi area Friday night. The injured have been identified as Heera Chand, 38, Sumit, 10, and seven-year-old Sujit.
“They were taken to … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Three injured in Delhi cylinder blast.

NEW DELHI – The Delhi Police Crime Branch has unearthed a manufacturing unit making illicit premium scotch whisky, a printing press where fake stickers and labels of various premium brands were printed and arrested six people with 156 liquor bottles.

NEW DELHI – The Delhi High Court Friday came down heavily on Delhi Police for filing a charge-sheet after six years against a person who in 2001, when he was a juvenile, allegedly eloped with his minor neighbour and raped her.

DHAKA – At least ten political activists were killed when their minibus collided head-on with an oil-laden lorry in Bangladesh’s central Faridpur district Friday, police said.

Seven of the victims died instantly in the collision. They were on board the bus carrying supporters of a newly elected ruling party lawmaker when it hit the lorry, …. Original source : Ten killed in Bangladesh accident.

NEW DELHI – A four-year-old girl was critically injured Friday when the wall of the next-door police station collapsed on her house in north Delhi, police said. The girl has been admitted to a hospital.

NEW DELHI – Enraged over his mother not agreeing to sell their house, a drunken man strangled his 80-year-old mother and then slammed her head on the floor in Mongolpuri northwest Delhi, police said Friday. The man has been arrested.

LUCKNOW – A teenaged Dalit girl was subjected to brutal attack and one of her ears nearly chopped off while resisting a rape attempt by three youths of her village in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district, police said Sunday. One man has been arrested.

The teenager was attacked late Saturday with a sharp-edged weapon in Udauli … Read more »»».

SYDNEY – A north Queensland man who was grabbed by a crocodile while swimming in a popular waterhole escaped by punching the reptile repeatedly on the head.

The 37-year-old man was swimming with his daughters near Weipa, the largest town on the Gulf of Carpentaria coast of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, when the …. Read the original article : here.

Moscow, Feb 6 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Two people were killed when a helicopter crashed in Russia’s southern republic of Kalmykia, authorities said Sunday.

The Mi-2 helicopter crashed Saturday at 23:00 Moscow time (20:00 GMT).
The crew had landed the helicopter due to a technical malfunction and the flight engineer fixed the problem.
But …. Read the original article : here.

TUNIS – Two people were killed and at least 17 injured in a clash between protesters and police in Tunisia’s Kef city, a media report said.

Protesters in Kef, 220 km west of the Tunisian capital, called for the dismissal of the city’s police chief, Khaled Ghazouani, due to his relationship with ousted president Zine … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Two killed as protesters, police clash in Tunisia.

AHMEDNAGAR – Known for its homes and shops with no doors or locks, the temple village of Shani-Shingnapur in this Maharashtra’s district Saturday reported yet another theft early Saturday, police said. Four thefts were reported in the village last year.

MOHALI – Punjab police Saturday said they had busted an inter-state gang of vehicle thieves, arresting four people and recovering 27 vehicles from their possession.

Working on a secret tip-off, Mohali district police arrested these four from Kharar town Feb 1.
“We have recovered 27 vehicles worth Rs. 1.46 crore. This gang was active … Original source on Gaea Times at : Vehicle thieves’ gang busted, 4 held.

NEW DELHI – Four men, including a pharmacist of Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), allegedly involved in buying medicines from government dispensaries on false pretences and then selling them in the market, have been arrested, police said Saturday.

KOLKATA – Six months after being rewarded by West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for returning cash worth Rs.1.5 lakh, two youths of Birbhum district will now face police interrogation as the notes were found to be fake.

GANDHINAGAR – Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Rahul Sharma was Saturday issued a show cause notice by the Gujarat government seeking an explanation why departmental action should not be taken against him for misconduct.

The charges against him related to the making of a CD containing telephone call data of officials, politicians and …. Source : Gaea News Network.

NEW DELHI – A Delhi court Saturday found sufficient evidence to put to trial 13 suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorists in the 2008 serial blasts here in which 26 people were killed. Charges against them would be framed Feb 21.

NEW DELHI – Delhi Police busted a motorbike gang engaged in robberies in the city after the arrest of two of its members. They have also recovered Rs.3 lakh and a pistol from the two, an official said Saturday.

ALLAHABAD – Equipment and goods worth around Rs.1 crore were gutted Saturday after a major fire broke out in a warehouse of the state-owned Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (UPRVUNL) here, police said. No casualty has been reported.

NEW DELHI – A week after a driver and a guard sensationally escaped in their bank van with Rs.67.5 lakh, police have seized almost the entire money and caught three of five accused, it was announced Saturday.

CHENNAI – Chennai Police plans to approach a court against former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi, who is refusing to accept its summons to appear in person in a criminal complaint lodged by the Indian cricket board, a top police official said Saturday.

NEW DELHI – The Delhi police have recovered from Uttar Pradesh Rs.63.5 lakh robbed from a bank’s cash van here last month. Two of the five accused are still absconding, a police official said Saturday.

The money was recovered Friday from a village in Etah district in Uttar Pradesh from the house of … Read more >>>.

GORAKHPUR – Three drug peddlers, who worked for a Nepal-based racket, have been arrested here with banned drugs worth over Rs.1 crore, police said Monday.

The three Uttar Pradesh men were nabbed late Sunday from Campereganj locality.
“The three were arrested while they were on their way to hand over the illegal consignment of the …. Source : Gaea News Network.

RANCHI – The seizure of 40 sacks of ammonium nitrate in two separate incidents from this city and its outskirts is the latest indicator that the Jharkhand capital may be turing into a hub of illegal explosives meant to reach Maoists.

The incidents come less than a week before the 34th National Games begin … Read more »».

NEW DELHI – The National Commission for Women (NCW) Monday formed a committee to investigate the shocking case of a Dalit minor who was brutally attacked for resisting rape in Uttar Pradesh, a state where, activists say, the situation for women, ruled by a woman chief minister, is going from bad to worse.

MIDLAND (GaeaTimes.com)- At least five people are known to have killed which includes three children when a Volkswagen Beetle collided with a truck at the city of Midland in Texas on Sunday afternoon. The accident is said to have taken place at a distance of fives miles in the northern direction of Midland in … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Volkswagen Beetle Accident Leaves 5 Dead.

NEW DELHI – Women activists Monday expressed shock at the attack on a Dalit minor whose ear was nearly chopped off and fingers smashed after she resisted gangrape, saying girls were not safe in Uttar Pradesh and the situation was going from bad to worse.

Girija Vyas, chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW), … Read more »».

PUNE – Six people, including two children, were instantly killed when a speeding tempo rammed into their car on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway early Monday, police said.

According to preliminary reports, the victims, who have not yet been identified, hailed from Goregaon suburb of Mumbai.
Pune Rural Police Control said the victims were travelling to Mumbai … Read : Six killed in Mumbai-Pune Expressway accident.

PATNA – Navlesh Pathak, the editor of an English weekly arrested in connection with the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Raj Kishore Kesri, will be provided newspapers and books in Bihar’s Purnia jail, officials said Monday.

ROHTAK – A senior doctor of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) here has been suspended following allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by an intern, an official said Sunday.

NEW DELHI – A Delhi court Tuesday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to keep former communications minister A. Raja in its custody for two more days so the agency could quiz him further over the 2G spectrum scam.

MELBOURNE – A man was stabbed to death at his own birthday party in Medina, a suburb of Perth in western Australia.

Police have charged a 43-year-old woman from Orelia, a suburb of Perth, over the death. The man and the woman had known each other for some months, but were not in a … Original article on : Man stabbed to death at his birthday bash.

PATNA – Ashok Pathak, the husband of a school teacher who stabbed to death Bihar’s BJP legislator Raj Kishore Kesri for allegedly exploiting her sexually, Tuesday said she was “forced” to take the extreme step and that he stood by her.

NEW DELHI – A day after an objectionable video clip showing two Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students in a compromising situation came to light, Delhi Police were yet to register a complaint Tuesday.

ISLAMABAD – Nine members of a family, including four children, were stabbed to death in a town in Pakistan’s Punjab province following a family feud.

The murders took place in Qadirabad town in Mandi Bahauddin district.
Abdul Rab, a police official, said the nine people were killed with a sharp knife when they were fast …. Original article : Nine of family stabbed to death in Pakistan.

WASHINGTON – Counterfeit currency is becoming a cause for concern in India with fake rupees believed to be printed in Pakistan and then channelled through Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Bangkok, Thailand, into Kathmandu, according to a new report.

MUMBAI – Another land scam in Pune, which could run into over Rs.3 billion, paling the Adarsh Society scam of Mumbai, may be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe, a legal official said.

Milan, Feb 8 (IANS/AKI) Investigators may expand the sex probe against Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on grounds that a second young suspected prostitute might have spent the night in his villa in a Milan suburb.

Brazilian Iris Berardi may have attended Berlusconi’s parties and stayed overnight at the billionaire’s villa in Arcore Dec … Read more >>>.

San Juan, Feb 8 (IANS/EFE) A Puerto Rican woman accused of beating to death her three-month-old son has been jailed.

The woman was jailed Monday after she failed to post the $500,000 bail set by a judge.
Zuleika Forti Martinez, 26, initially claimed that husband Edelmiro Colon Marrero was responsible for the injuries the baby … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Baby dies after beating in Puerto Rico.

Monterrey (Mexico), Feb 8 (IANS/EFE) The police found five mutilated bodies over the weekend on a highway in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon along with a message from a drug cartel, an official said.

JAKARTA – Seventeen people were killed and 40 others were injured Monday in a bus accident in the Central Java province of Indonesia, Xinhua reported.

The bus plunged into a ravine in the Peringkesit area of Temanggung district, police officer Sugiyono told Xinhua by phone. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals.
…. Source article on Gaea Times at : 17 killed in Indonesia bus accident.

LUCKNOW – Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi spent Monday meeting three victims of sexual assault, including a young girl with deep gashes and half an ear chopped off in a brutal attack for resisting rape.

NEW DELHI – Two gangrapes, including one in the heart of the national capital, an attempt to rape an 11-year-old girl, a raped teen commits suicide in Uttar Pradesh, another lies disfigured in a brutal attack for resisting rape, a young woman in Kerala dies after being flung off a moving train and raped on …. Source : India’s shame: More violence against women.

NEW DELHI – A Class 11 student of a south Delhi school was gang raped by her neighbour and two of his friends near Bhikaji Cama Place last week, police said Monday. The three youths have been arrested.

GHAZIABAD – A special CBI court Wednesday ordered that Rajesh and Nupur Talwar be tried for the murder of their teenaged daughter Aarushi. The couple will also be prosecuted for destruction of evidence.

MUMBAI – Shahid Balwa, managing director of DB Realty, was Wednesday taken to Delhi after a Mumbai court Wednesday granted a two-day transit remand to the CBI in the 2G scam but his company said he had been “wrongly implicated”.

Balwa, arrested in Mumbai late Tuesday by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), was presented … Read more »»».

MUMBAI – A day after its managing director Shahid Balwa was arrested, DB Realty Ltd Wednesday said he had been “wrongly implicated” in the 2G scam.

“We reiterate that neither Balwa nor any person or entity forming part of the DB Group has done anything illegal or inappropriate,” the company said stressing that he would …. Source : Balwa innocent, claims DB Realty.

MEERUT – From behind bars, they will churn out cricket pads, footballs and badminton racquets. Inmates of Meerut District Jail will now produce sports goods, gaining skill and money in the process to assist their families.

MUMBAI – Shahid Balwa, promoter of Swan Telecom, was taken to New Delhi in connection with the 2G scam after a Mumbai court Wednesday granted a two-day transit remand to the CBI, an official said.

Balwa, arrested in Mumbai late Tuesday by the Central Bureau of Investigation, was presented before a court Wednesday morning and … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Shahid Balwa taken to Delhi.

SYDNEY – A missing Sydney businessman’s body was found dumped in a freezer chest, a week after he disappeared from his tyre shop, said police.

Allan Noor’s body was hidden inside a commercial freezer in the basement of an apartment block in Sydney’s south, The Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.
Police confirmed that they made the [..] Read the original article: here.

ALLAHABAD – Two men have been arrested here with an ‘ashtadhatu’ (eight-metal alloy) idol worth around Rs.20 million (over $400,000), police said Wednesday.

The men, who worked for an inter-state racket involved in smuggling of antique idols, were nabbed Tuesday night from the Civil Lines area.
“They were arrested while they were on their way …. Source article : Two held with antique idol worth Rs.20 mn.

MUMBAI, INDIA (GaeaTimes.com)- A major fire broke out in the basement of the famous Bombay House building, located in South Mumbai. The huge building is located near Flora Fountain in the Fort area, and is known as the main head quarter of the Tata group. The disaster took the life of three people and … Read more : Bombay House Sets On Fire.

ISLAMABAD – A Hindu trader, who had been abducted late last month, was rescued after a fierce gun battle in Pakistan’s Sindh province, police said.

Sarwan Kumar was rescued from the Achhro Thar area of Sanghar district Tuesday, said police official Mohammad Ali Baloch.
He told a press conference that Kumar was recovered after … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Kidnapped Hindu trader rescued in Pakistan.

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Wednesday pulled up the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for making excuses to get an adjournment on a petition by Surendra Koli, sentenced to death in the Nithari serial killing case of 2006.

ISLAMABAD – Prosecutors have recommended registering an espionage case against US official Raymond Davis, who shot dead two Pakistanis in Lahore, after police retrieved from his camera photographs of some sensitive areas and defence installations, including those of army bunkers on the eastern border with India.

UNNAO – A minor girl was stabbed in the jaw and throat for spurning the advances of a man in an Uttar Pradesh village, police said Wednesday, just three days after another 17-year-old girl was brutally disfigured in Fatehpur district for resisting gangrape.

Islamabad, Feb 10 (IANS/AKI) Former army officers will “take action” against the government if Pakistan releases US official Raymond Davis who shot dead two Pakistanis, ex-spy chief Hamid Gul has warned.

“If the government shows any softness in the case of Davis, former army officers would play their role in the defence of national interest,” …. Read the original article : Don’t free Davis, warns ex-spy chief.

KATHMANDU – Seven young men, who had been discharged from the Maoist party’s guerrilla army after a UN verification said their recruitment was illegal, attacked an office of the world organisation in farwestern Nepal, injuring two guards, vandalising vehicles and smashing window panes, police said.

DHAKA – The teenager who died after she was raped and whipped a 100 times following a fatwa by local clerics had suffered “heavy wounds” all over her body, said a fresh autopsy report submitted to the high court here.

Media and judicial activism has helped revive the case of the teenager who was whipped …. Read the original article : here.

PATNA – Manisha Kumari, a woman kabaddi player, was shot dead by a CRPF trooper posted at a Patna stadium where she had been practicing for the 34th National Games when she refused to give him her phone number, police said Thursday. The trooper later turned the gun on himself and is in a critical … Read : Refused phone number, trooper kills woman kabaddi player.

Rome, Feb 10 (IANS/AKI) Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has vowed to sue the state over “unfounded” and “shameful” allegations by “subversive” prosecutors who want to put him on trial for allegedly paying an underage prostitute for sex and abuse of office.

Islamabad, Feb 10 (IANS/AKI) Former army officers will take action against the Pakistani government if it releases US official Raymond Davis, suspected of murder and espionage, ex-intelligence services chief and retired general Hamid Gul warned.

UNITED NATIONS – Over a quarter of a million people were killed by disasters worldwide last year, making 2010 one of the deadliest years in more than a generation, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said.

NEW DELHI – A man employed in the Supreme Court’s canteen and a worker in a private company committed suicide in two separate incidents, police said Wednesday.

Apex court canteen worker Tema, 22, committed suicide by hanging himself inside his house in Krishan Nagar in east Delhi Tuesday night.
“The family members discovered him hanging [..] Read the original article: here.

SHILLONG – The Meghalaya Right to Information Movement (MRTIM) Wednesday exposed what it termed a “wheat scam” worth crores of rupees after the Food Corporation of India (FCI) revealed that the state has been receiving wheat from 2008 but none of the fair price shops are distributing it.

BILASPUR – The Chhattisgarh High Court has reserved its order till Thursday on the bail plea of rights activist Binayak Sen even as the state government opposed it on the grounds of his links with the Maoists.

PRETORIA – At least nine people were killed when a private plane crashed near Plettenberg Bay off South Africa’s southern coast, the company that owned the aircraft and whose CEO died in the accident, said.

NEW DELHI – An abducted Delhi-based astrologer was rescued with the arrest of two people in Gurgaon. The astrologer was allegedly kidnapped by his former client who had suffered huge losses due to his astrological advice, police said Wednesday.

The abductor, Surender, who is still absconding, wanted to make up for the losses by demanding … Read more >>.

NEW DELHI – As a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court Wednesday ordered the trial of dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar for the 2008 murder of their teenaged daughter Aarushi, the 33-month-old case evoked memories of crimes where parents have faced allegations of harming their children.

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) Friday released a brief statement outlining the latest claim figures for the December-January floods, The Age newspaper reported.
The council says 43,755 claims had been received. These include … Read more »».

Al-ARISH – Clashes took place between police and unidentified gunmen in Rafah, a town near Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip, witnesses said Friday, after President Hosni Mubarak refused to step down the day before.

Some people were ready to fire bullets in the air to celebrate Mubarak’s resignation, as was expected late Thursday. Gunmen … Read more »».

LUCKNOW – A man gunned down a teenaged girl allegedly after she spurned his friendship, and later shot himself here Friday, police said. He is being treated at a trauma centre.

Ashish Kumar, 24, shot dead an 18-year-old student of New Public Inter College in Krishnanagar locality here.
According to police, Ashish killed the …. Original article : Man kills girl for spurning his friendship.

CHANDIGARH – An eight-year-old schoolboy kidnapped from Ambala in Haryana Thursday was rescued after a gunfight with his abductors here, police said Friday.

“The school bus had dropped Vansh near his house in Defence Colony (in Ambala) and his grandmother was waiting for him on the other side of the road. Eyewitnesses told us that … Original article on : Kidnapped boy rescued in Haryana, abductor injured.

BEIJING – Light to moderate snowfall has brought relief to the winter wheat crops in drought-hit areas of China, where more than seven million hectares of farmland have been affected due to a lingering drought.

BEIJING – Widespread snowfall in the past two days has helped ease a severe drought gripping China’s winter wheat producing regions, said officials.

The snowfall occurred in the areas along the Yangtze, Huaihe and Yellow rivers, the country’s winter wheat producing regions, China Daily reported Friday.
The Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said that … Read more : Snowfall eases drought in China.

PATNA/SHIMLA – A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper who fired at himself after shooting down a national-level woman kabaddi player died of his injuries at a hospital in the Bihar capital, police said Friday.

AGRA – A class five girl, who set herself ablaze after she was raped by two students of her school, has died after struggling for life for almost a fortnight with 70 percent burn injuries in a hospital here.

BANGALORE – The Karnataka government late Thursday said it had filed a police complaint against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K. Rehman Khan over alleged financial irregularities of around Rs.100 crore (Rs.1 billion).

SRINAGAR – The crime branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Police Thursday evening recovered a Bhutanese boy in Srinagar whose parents had complained to the Indian external affairs ministry that their son had been kidnapped and sold to a local in Srinagar.

NEW DELHI – A class 3 student of a government school was raped by her deaf and mute neighbour in west Delhi, police said Thursday. The accused has been arrested.

Mannu, 20, was caught after a power utility employee came to the eigh-year-old girl’s help in Kanjhawala. The incident occurred around 3.15 p.m.
…. Source article on Gaea Times at : Deaf, mute youth held for minor’s rape.

NEW DELHI – They had planned to gift diamonds to their girlfriends on Valentines Day Feb 14 but as luck would have it, six members of a gang which committed more than 100 robberies and snatchings landed in police net a week before the day marking the celebration of love, an official said Thursday.

COLOMBO – More US assistance has reached Sri Lanka to aid the thousands hit by massive flooding.

The latest consignment of American assistance was handed over to Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa by US ambassador Patricia A. Butenis this week.
The supplies include 600 rolls of plastic sheeting and 1,000 mosquito nets and will …. Source : US flood aid reaches Sri Lanka.

DHARAMSALA – Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Saturday said Tibetan religious leader Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje has not yet been given a clean chit following the discovery of unaccounted money from his monastery, but added that the state government had not made any accusations against him.

CONCEPCION – A 6.8-magnitude quake rocked the Bio Bio region in southern Chile but there was no damage or casualty, Xinhua reported.

The quake occurred at 17.05 p.m. Friday, and its epicentre was located 45 km north of Concepcion at a depth of 28 km, the US geology survey said.
The …. Original source : 6.8-magnitude quake rocks Chile.

GANDHINAGAR – An NGO providing legal aid to victims of the 2002 riots has requested the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to protect senior police officer Rahul Sharma, a witness who was issued notice for making a compact disc containing call records of officials, politicians and rioters during the communal violence in the state.

NEW DELHI – A 32-year-old vehicle supplier was allegedly shot by his client in central Delhi after a heated argument between them over pending bills turned violent Friday afternoon, police said.

“The incident was reported from a private company, Shriram Info Visions office in West Patel Nagars E block. The victim has been identified as … Original source on Gaea Times at : Man shot over money dispute.

HARDOI – A court here Friday awarded the death penalty to three people for killing five members of a family in 2009, police said.

The fast track court-IV awarded the death penalty to Umesh Shukla and his two sons, who had killed Shriniwas, his wife and his three sons over a land dispute.
“Shukla and [..] Read the original article: here.

NEW DELHI – To buy gifts for girlfriends and visit brothels, 11 men known as “karate gang” hijacked buses and robbed passengers here, making Rs.30,000-50,000 on every heist. The gang has been busted, police said Friday.

LUCKNOW – A man shot dead a teenaged girl here Friday allegedly after she spurned his friendship and later shot himself, police said. He is being treated at a trauma centre.

Ashish Kumar Verma, 24, killed an 18-year-old student of New Public Inter College in Krishnanagar locality.
Police said Verma shot her after an altercation … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Man kills girl for spurning friendship.

BANGALORE – The Karnataka High Court Friday rejected the bail plea of Abdul Nasir Maudany, leader of the Kerala-based Peoples Democractic Party and an accused in the Banglaore blasts case.

Maudany has been in a Bangalore jail since Aug 17 last year after his arrest in Kerala.
Justice V. Jagannathan accepted the state government’s plea … Original article on : Court rejects Maudany’s bail plea.

Moscow, Feb 13 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Strong winds have damaged power transmission lines in south European Russia, leaving thousands blacked out in the Volgograd Region, a regional emergencies spokeswoman said Sunday.

KUALA LUMPUR – Seven Somali hijackers, including three minors, face a possible death sentence under Malaysian law for attempting to hijack a Malaysian vessel in the Gulf of Aden.

They were produced before a magistrate’s court here and charged with discharging their firearms at Malaysian commandos. The offence, under Section 3 of the …. Original article : Somali pirates face gallows in Malaysia.

LUCKNOW – A 50-year-old police constable died Saturday while running as part of an endurance test in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

Special Director General of Police Brij Lal said: Constable Mahabir Pandey was appearing for a promotion examination of which a 10-km run is an essential part. He completed two laps but collapsed during the …. Original source : Constable dies during endurance test.

NEW DELHI – A 22-year old man was killed when the vehicle he was in was hit by a speeding bus in north Delhi Saturday, police said.

Prem Singh was on his way to Jahangirpuri in north Delhi in Mahindra pick-up carrying vegetables when the vehicle was hit by the Haryana Roadways bus at the …. Source : Man killed in vehicle collision.

NEW DELHI – Two people, including a man declared a proclaimed offender by courts in five cases including attempt to murder and rioting, were arrested in south Delhi, police said Saturday.

Anni Massey, 32, a proclaimed offender, and Ajay, 31, who also has a criminal record, were arrested from Lado Sarai Friday.
“Following a …. Original article on Gaea Times at : Proclaimed offender, aide held.

NAGPUR – This Maharashtra city was shaken Saturday afternoon when a former legislators son was shot dead by his brother-in-law inside a marriage marquee, police said. The assailant was arrested.

The incident took place at the wedding ceremony of a relative of former Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Indu Nakade from Gadchiroli, in Nagpur this afternoon.
…. Original article : Ex-legislator’s son shot dead by relative.

DHARAMSALA – Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Saturday said Tibetan religious leader Karmapa has not yet been given a clean chit following the recovery of unaccounted money from his monastery, and added that the government had not made any accusations against him either.

LONDON – Former Liberian president Charles Taylor, facing trial for his involvement in war crimes in Sierra Leone, may have amassed $400 million but only a fraction of his wealth could be recovered, the leaked US embassy cables have revealed.

PRATAPGARH – Angered by repeated rejections from a teenaged girl, a man barged into her home here and threw acid on the girl and two of her family members, police said Saturday. The condition of the victims is serious.

NEW DELHI – Shekhar Deorukhkar, an aide of then Commonwealth Games (CWG) Organising Committee (OC) chairman Suresh Kalmadi, was Saturday brought before a special court here and sent to five days in remand of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), an official said.

Friday night, tens of thousands of people defied the curfew – previously set from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. – to celebrate the end of President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule.
…. Source : Egypt reduces curfew hours.

KOLKATA – Parents of nine-year-old Sandeep Mondal used to watch in bemusement when their son used to prance in front of the TV, nursing his dream of appearing in at least one of the numerous dance reality shows. But nothing could have prepared them for the horror of Friday night – when they found … Read more : Rejected by dance reality shows, 9-year-old hangs self.

KOLKATA – The criminal investigation department (CID) of West Bengal police probing the Lalgarh carnage Saturday released photographs of the accused including five Communist party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leaders, police said.

KOLKATA/DARJEELING – The central government-appointed interlocutor Vijay Madan visited West Bengal’s Darjeeling hills to assess the situation Saturday, day four of an indefinite shutdown the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) has called to protest its three supporters’ death in police firing.

NEW DELHI – Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was arrested by India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) Monday, a day after he was detained at the international airport here for carrying undisclosed foreign currency worth more than $100,000, an official said.

NEW DELHI – Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was Monday arrested by India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), a day after he was detained at the international airport here on charges of carrying undisclosed foreign currency, an official said.

SRINAGAR – Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Monday expressed shock and grief at the death of two children in an explosion in Srinagar suburbs Sunday evening.

Two teenaged siblings were killed and three people critically injured when an explosive device the children unsuspectingly carried home burst in their home in Malru village, 15 …. Original article on Gaea Times at : Omar condoles death of two children in blast.

GORAKHPUR – A retired Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel was found dead under mysterious circumstances near a railway crossing here Monday, police said.

The body of Rajkishore Yadav, aged around 62, who retired as an airman in the IAF, was found near the railway crossing in the cantonment area of Gorakhpur, some 350 km from …. Source article : Mystery shrouds death of retired IAF personnel.

ISLAMABAD – Two Chinese engineers were killed in a mine collapse in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, an official said Monday.

The Chinese engineers died in the chromite mine in Qila Saifullah district Sunday, Dawn reported Monday.
Sources said the two engineers were working in the mine when a portion caved in and they were buried under … Read more >>.

Mexico City, Feb 14 (IANS/EFE) A video has been posted on YouTube that shows

a Mexican attorney being tortured with electric jolts. It was described as a Valentine’s Day gift for his sister, a former attorney general.
Mario Gonzalez – brother of Patricia Gonzalez, former attorney general of Chihuahua state – is seen being tortured … Read more >>.

Madrid, Feb 14 (IANS/EFE) A prostitution network that exploited girls from various nationalities in four brothels in Madrid has been busted after police kept a watch over it using cameras connected to the internet.

Moscow, Feb 14 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Pirates have seized a Maltese-flagged vessel with a crew of 23 people, including 10 Indians, off the coast of Oman, the European Union anti-piracy force (EUNavfor) reported.

The Sinin carrier, with 13 Iranians and 10 Indian nationals onboard, sent a distress call while sailing approximately 350 nautical miles east of … Read more »»».

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has initiated hectic efforts to secure the release of famous singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan detained at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on charges of carrying undisclosed foreign currency.

Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir called Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad Sharat Sabarwal and discussed the matter around midnight Sunday. He requested the …. Read the original article : Pakistan seeks release of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

KOLKATA – One person was killed and 22 injured when a van carrying Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) supporters fell into a gorge in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district Sunday, police said.

“The vehicle ferrying CPI-M supporters from Meenakha in South 24 Parganas district to the Left Front rally at Brigrade Parade Ground, fell …. Source article on Gaea Times at : CPI-M supporter dies in Bengal road accident.

FATEHABAD – Haryana Police have arrested a village sarpanch (headman) and his driver who killed the daughter-in-law of a Right to Information (RTI) activist here, police said Sunday.

According to police, the victim was identified as Sonu, a resident of Chandrawal village in this Haryana district. She was crushed under the sarpanch’s vehicle Saturday.
Her [..] Read the original article: here.

NEW DELHI – A 12-year-old girl was raped by her teenaged neighbour in west Delhi Sunday, police said.

“The incident occurred in Nihal Vihars A-block, while the victim was on her way to the market around 10 a.m., said a senior police officer.
According to police, the 15-year-old accused, a labourer, caught hold of …. Source : Minor raped by teenaged neighbour.

RAIPUR – Chhattisgarh’s temple town of Ratanpur woke up to a bloody Sunday with the discovery of the corpses of three children – all below ten years of age. The children were killed by a man in revenge for his wife eloping with their uncle, police said.

FATEHABAD – Haryana Police have arrested a village sarpanch (headman) and his driver who killed the daughter-in-law of a Right to Information (RTI) activist here, police said Sunday.

According to police, the victim was identified as Sonu, a resident of Chandrawal village in this Haryana district. She was crushed under the sarpanch’s vehicle Saturday.
Her …. Read the original article : Sarpanch held for killing RTI activist’s kin.

NEW DELHI – Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was detained at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here Sunday on his arrival from Pakistan for allegedly carrying a huge amount of undeclared foreign currency, said to be $100,000, official sources said.

ISLAMABAD – The Pakistani government is feeling the heat of former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s startling disclosure that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had “forced” him to confirm the diplomatic immunity for US consular staffer Raymond Davis, who is currently in custody on charges of killing two people in Lahore.

ISLAMABAD – Investigators have found that US official Raymond Davis “told lies” when he claimed to have fired in self defence at two men, both of whom were shot in the back, a media report said Tuesday.

The challan submitted against Davis said that “during investigations it has come to light that the stance of … Read more >>.

ISLAMABAD – A Hindu driver and four officials have gone missing and are feared to have been kidnapped in Pakistan’s Sindh province, a media report said Tuesday.

Driver Himmat Lal and four officials of the Sindh Seed Corporation were abducted from the national highway near Qazi Ahmed Sunday evening.
The corporation’s director Agha Shahid, deputy [..] Read the original article: here.

ISLAMABAD – As many as 761 Pakistanis, including 18 defence personnel, are lodged in Indian jails, according to a report presented in the National Assembly.

“As of January 2011, 761 Pakistanis are in Indian jails – 698 of them are civilians, 45 fishermen and 18 defence personnel,” said the foreign affairs division report.
Dawn … Original article on : 761 Pakistanis in Indian jails: Report.

BHADOHI – Driven to the brink of desperation by her poverty, a woman here Tuesday jumped into a well with her three sons, killing them instantly, police said. The mother is battling for life in a hospital.

Usha Devi, 40, tried taking her final plunge along with her three sons – aged 5-10 years – … Read more »»».

TEGUCIGALPA – A small plane crashed near the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa Monday, killing all 14 people on board, authorities said.

Central American Airlines manager Felix Pacheco said the plane which was en route to the capital city as per its daily schedule crashed after it took off form the coastal city of San Pedro … Read more >>>.

CAIRO – Some of the artefacts stolen from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo during the recent unrest that toppled president Hosni Mubarak have been recovered, the minister for antiquities affairs said Monday.

NEW DELHI – Three days after a woman’s body was found in a bag at the New Delhi railway station, the police are yet to identify the victim. About 50 people have so far seen the body but no one has claimed it, an officer said Monday.

ISLAMABAD – In the first sign of giving in to the US pressure on the Raymond Davis case, ruling Pakistan Peoples Party spokesman Fozia Wahab said Monday that the arrested American official has diplomatic immunity.

Davis, a US consular staffer, was arrested Jan 27 in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, after he shot dead … Read more »».

BEIJING – Chinese security forces assaulted foreign journalists attempting to visit a dissident under house arrest, the Foreign Correspondents Club of China said Wednesday.

“Correspondents should be careful if they attempt to enter the village of activist Chen Guangcheng in Shandong province,” the club warned after incidents involving journalists of US broadcaster CNN, the New … Read : Foreign journalists attacked in China.

ISLAMABAD – A jilted Pakistani girl, who orchestrated the murder of her 20-year-old lover, had filmed the gruesome act on her mobile phone as two of her associates hacked his body into pieces after stabbing him to death, police said.

SHANGHAI – A video has been posted on Chinese websites that shows a man using a knife to skin a golden retriever dog on a busy street in Shanghai, which has ignited calls for appropriate laws to protect animals.

RAIPUR – A junior official posted in Chhattisgarhs Korba town has illegal assets worth a whopping Rs.50 million, officials of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) said Wednesday.

EOW carried out raids Tuesday at five locations related to Awadhkishore Gautam, sub-divisional officer with the water resources department, and seized several documents.
“After analyzing the papers we … Original source on Gaea Times at : Chhattisgarh junior official’s illegal assets – Rs.50 mn!.

ISLAMABAD – The incidents of violence against women are increasing in Pakistan, said Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Asma Jahangir.

Jahangir said violence against women was taking place everyday due to apathy of the police and the government towards the victims, Daily Times reported Wednesday.
She was speaking at a press conference along …. Source : `Increase in violence against women in Pakistan’.

LUCKNOW – Three arms smugglers, two of them from Uttarakhand, were arrested with illegal firearms and over 100 live cartridges in Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh, police said Wednesday.

The three men were held late Tuesday from Sungadhi town following a joint operation by the Special Task Force (STF) and the district police.
“Preliminary investigations …. Source article on Gaea Times at : Three held with 100 cartridges and firearms.

WASHINGTON – A journalist working for CBS News “suffered a brutal and sexual assault” when she was covering the celebration at Cairo’s Tahrir Square Feb 11, the day when Egypt’s president Hosni Mubarak stepped down.

Judge Eddy Caceres Rodriguez was Tuesday shot at least four times, including twice in the head. He died at a hospital in Peten province, police said.
The 48-year-old judge was attacked near his residence in …. Read the original article : Judge shot dead in Guatemala.

GREATER NOIDA – A security guard at a private university Tuesday shot dead two men, both former guards at the institution after they beat him up alleging he he had been responsible for their removal, police said.

The two security guards Sachin Tomar and Indrajeet barged in to the room of Ravinder and started to … Read more »»».

NOIDA – A 25-year-old man preparing for Common Admission Test (CAT) – the gateway to pursue MBA in Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) – committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling of his bedroom here, police said.

AZAMGARH – Underworld don Abu Salem has been charged with threatening his brother Abu Jais here over a property dispute.

Jais, who lives in Azamgarh – the native district of Salem – Tuesday alleged that he has received repeated threats from his brother in the last few days.
“He has threatened me several times…He wants … Read more >>>.

NEW DELHI – In two incidents Tuesday, two factories were gutted in fire, destroying property worth Rs.12 lakh in the capital, police said. No one was injured.

In the first incident, a plastic factory caught fire in Paschim Vihar area of west Delhi around 8.30 a.m. Valuables worth Rs.5 lakh were destroyed.
Around 12 … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Two factories gutted, no casualties.

NEW DELHI – A gang that duped people by selling fake gold bricks was busted with the arrest of five people in south Delhi, police said Tuesday.

The arrested have been identified as Islam, 32, Faruq, 24, Anjala, 22, Arshad and Ikbal, 25, all from Mewat in Haryana.
They were apprehended from south Delhi on …. Original source : Five held for selling fake gold bricks.

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Tuesday confirmed the death penalty awarded to Nithari serial killer Surendra Koli and indicated that his employer and businessman Moninder Singh Pandher, in whose house the gruesome murders took place in 2006, had some explanation to do.

NEW DELHI – Unable to conceive despite five years of marriage, a 28-year-old woman killed herself by jumping from her second-floor house in north Delhi Tuesday, police said.

Reena Sharma, who lived in Kewal Park area of Adarsh Nagar, jumped to her death around 9 a.m. Tuesday. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where …. Read the original article : Childless woman commits suicide in capital.

KATHMANDU – Rights organisations in Nepal and abroad Thursday urged the new government of Nepal to bring to justice the army officers and soldiers responsible for the torture and killing of a 15-year-old school girl, whose case has now become a rallying point for victims of the 10-year armed insurrection.

HANOI – Eight foreign tourists were killed and five were still missing when a tourist boat sank Thursday in Vietnam, officials said.

The accidents occurred at 5 a.m. (2200 GMT Wednesday) at Ha Long bay when a boat carrying 22 people, including 21 foreign tourists, sank, said Ngo Van Hung, head of the management …. Source article on Gaea Times at : At least eight dead as Vietnam tourist boat sinks.

Ciudad Juarez (Mexico), Feb 17 (IANS/EFE) Gunmen opened fire on the funeral procession for a teenager killed earlier this week in the northern Mexican city of Chihuahua, wounding a police officer, police said.

BHUBANESWAR – The collector of Orissa’s Malkangiri district, who went missing Wednesday evening, has been kidnapped by the Maoists who have set two conditions for his release, authorities said Thursday.

It is for the first time the rebels have taken hostage of an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer in the state.
Police and local … Read more >>>.

BHUBANESWAR – The collector of Orissa’s Malkangiri district, a strong hold of Maoists, went missing since past several hours, official said Thursday.

The collector R. Veenel Krishna had gone to Chitrakonda area early Wednesday morning with several other officials for a district level public relation meeting.
“He and two-three other people have not yet … Read more »».

NEW YORK – Somali detainee Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse, portrayed as a modern-day pirate, was sentenced Wednesday to 33 years and nine months in prison for hijacking a US vessel in 2009 off the coast of Somalia.

ISLAMABAD – Despite a hectic 24-hour visit of John Kerry, chairman of US Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, Pakistan’s civil and military establishment seems to be in a defiant mood on the issue of granting diplomatic immunity to Raymond Davis, a US consular staffer arrested on charges of gunning down two Pakistani men in Lahore.

NEW DELHI – Three unidentified men shot a 56-year-old man, critically injuring him, outside his medical store in east Delhi when he was locking up his business for the day, a police official said Wednesday.

NEW DELHI – Two teachers, who were conducting census survey, were allegedly beaten up by residents in a east Delhi locality Wednesday, police said.

According to police, the incident took place around 2 p.m. in West Karawal Nagar in Khazoori Khas.
The victims – Arvind Kumar, 45, and Sunil Kumar, 47, both teachers at Municipal …. Source : Gaea News Network.

COLOMBO – Sri Lankan officials said Wednesday that they would charge more than 100 Indian fishermen for poaching.

Police say Sri Lankan fishermen off Point Pedro on the northwest coast spotted the Indians poaching and alerted the police Tuesday.
“We will be producing the 112 fishermen before the local magistrate in the area Wednesday evening,” … Original article on : Sri Lanka to charge 112 Indian fishermen with poaching.

MUMBAI – Twenty-eight years old Amit Gupta made money quickly and in a novel way – through his girlfriend. After winning her trust and obtaining her ATM password, he quietly applied for new credit and debit cards and merrily began withdrawing money from her account. Several weeks and Rs.3.42 lakh later, he is now cooling … Read more : Man withdraws lakhs from girlfriend’s account, caught.

NEW DELHI – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Friday conducted raids at several locations in the capital in connection with irregularities in overlays contracts for the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG), officials said.

NEW DELHI – A child was crushed and another injured when they came under the wheels of a truck in northwest Delhi’s Rohini area Friday morning, triggering tension in the area as angry locals stoned the vehicle and then torched it.

NEW DELHI – Two members of a gang of contract killers, allegedly involved in killing a sandal wood smuggler of Chhattisgarh, were arrested from north Delhi and arms were seized from them, police said Thursday.

Ranbir, 30, and Narender, 26, were arrested from Rohini area of north Delhi Wednesday on a tip-off.
“A … Read more »»».

NEW DELHI – Frustrated at being unable to go to school as his father failed to deposit the fees, a 14-year-old boy committed suicide by hanging himself inside his house in west Delhi Thursday morning, police said.

KOLKATA – Condemning the Feb 15 killing of a 16-year-old lad by three men when he tried to prevent them from misbehaving with his sister, West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayanan Thursday said the attackers should be “taken out on the street”.

NEW DELHI – Essar Telecom’s CEO Prashant Ruia was Thursday questioned for close to two hours by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at its headquarters here in connection with the 2G telecom scam, officials said.

“The questioning has ended now and he has just left our office,” a CBI official told IANS around 9 …. Read the original article : here.

LONDON – A 44-year-old Bangladeshi-origin taxi driver is facing jail and deportation for allegedly grabbing a passenger’s breasts after she got into his cab.

Unlicensed taxi driver Zamal Uddin, who has been living in Britain for 20 years, but has not learnt English, was criticised by a judge for failing to integrate into the society.
…. Source : Gaea News Network.

NEW DELHI – Witnesses who turned hostile during the trial in the 1999 murder of model Jessica Lal may now be in trouble as the Delhi High Court will from Friday resume perjury (lying on oath) proceedings against them.

NEW DELHI – A 16-year-old boy and his friend were arrested for stabbing an auto mechanic to death after an argument in Ambedkar Nagar area of north Delhi, police said Thursday.

Nitin, 20, and the boy killed Ram Avtar, a 35-year-old mechanic after a heated argument between them. Avtar was under the influence of alcohol … Original article on : Minor, friend stab auto mechanic to death.

CAIRO – A limestone statue of Egyptian pharoah Akhenaten, one of the eight artefacts stolen during the uprising that brought down president Hosni Mubarak, has been found in a trash heap two weeks after it was purloined and has been returned to Cairo’s national museum.

NEW DELHI – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Thursday questioned the CEO of Essar Telecom, Prashant Ruia, at its headquarters in connection with the 2G telecom scam, officials said.

“He is present at our office and is being questioned,” a CBI official told IANS.
CBI had earlier told a Delhi court that former communications …. Original article on Gaea Times at : CBI questions Essar CEO Prashant Ruia.

MUMBAI – The Bombay High Court Thursday ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over investigations into the missing documents of the controversial Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society.

A division bench headed by Justice B.H. Marlapalle of the Bombay High Court, while transferring the case from the Mumbai police, also asked the CBI to … Read more »».

PANAJI – A civil rights group and a relative of a non-resident Indian (NRI) chef, who died in police custody, demanded Saturday that a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe be ordered into the controversial death.

FIROZABAD – At least eight students, in the age group 12-15 years, were injured when their school bus overturned due to a tyre burst here in Uttar Pradesh Saturday morning, police said.

The accident took place in Tundla area, when the driver of the bus of Udai Public School lost control of the vehicle.
“We … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Eight students injured in accident.

JALANDHAR – Army authorities at the 11 Corps have put a former top general under formal arrest after he was convicted of professional misconduct and sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment by a general court martial (GCM) in a multi-million ration scam in this cantonment city Friday.

Monterrey (Mexico), Feb 19 (IANS/EFE) At least eight gunmen were killed in a battle with Mexican army in the northern state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico’s defence department said.

The shootout began around 1:00 a.m. Friday in Cadereyta near state capital Monterrey, when “suspicious individuals” travelling in several vehicles fled as soldiers tried to stop and … Original source on Gaea Times at : Mexican army kills eight in shootout.

LAKHIMPUR KHERI – A 15-year-old girl, whom a youth set ablaze in this Uttar Pradesh district for resisting his advances, died Friday, police said. The accused, who was on the run, has now been arrested.

LUCKNOW – The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court Friday granted bail to Samajwadi Party MP Shailendra Singh, booked and jailed in December 2010 on charges of attempt to murder a candidate in a local body election in Uttar Pradesh.

He was arrested along with eight others, including Independent legislator Raja Bhaiya. Except Raja …. Source article on Gaea Times at : Samajwadi Party MP gets bail.

NEW DELHI – A child was crushed to death and a youth injured when they came under the wheels of a truck here Friday morning, triggering tension in the area as angry locals torched the vehicle and then pelted stones at policemen trying to stop them.

MUMBAI – Leading businessman Hasan Ali Khan, allegedly the country’s top tax evador, was grilled by Income Tax authorities from Mumbai Friday, official sources said.

The Pune-based multi-billionaire was asked to clarify his stand on a variety of issues, including a 2007 case pertaining to $8 billion in his wife Rheemas name in a Swiss …. Source article on Gaea Times at : Tax sleuths grill Pune billionaire Hasan Ali Khan.

NEW DELHI – Three men, who allegedly gang raped a 30-year-old married woman here while she was returning home from office, have been arrested, police said Friday.

All the three – Sandeep, Ravinder and Umesh – were arrested Thursday night. They are from Sonepat in Haryana, police sources said.
According to the sources, … Read : Three held for gang rape in south Delhi.

HYDERABAD – A woman employee of Infosys Technologies Friday committed suicide by jumping off the car park building in the company’s Hyderabad development centre at Gachibowli. The reason for her taking the fatal plunge was not known, police said.

NEW DELHI – Posing as a tantrik, a man claimed to solve any person’s hardships with the help of his Indian eagle owl. After cheating more than 500 people of lakhs of rupees in the last few years, his gang was busted and three members arrested, police said Friday.

SHILLONG – What does human trafficking mean, why is it done, what punishment can it attract and how do we rehabilitate victims? A manual on human trafficking brought out by an NGO is proving a boon for police in the northeast where trafficking is a major issue.

PATNA – Thirteen people were arrested in Bihar’s Samastipur district Sunday in connection with a hooch tragedy that claimed nine lives, police said. Over 400 pouches of country-made liquor were seized from them.

Seven people, including four women, died at Kashipur locality in Samastipur, about 100 km from here, Saturday and two died Sunday, … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : 13 held for hooch tragedy in Bihar.

The cocaine seizure, in which Mexican authorities discovered 549 packets of cocaine, each weighing approximately 1,150 grams each, was the largest thus far this year, the … Read : Cocaine stash found in steamroller.

GHAZIABAD – The guard and maid employed by an ex-army officer Saturday burgled his house in this Uttar Pradesh town, after overpowering and tying up him and his grandson when they tried to resist, police said. Both sustained injuries and have been hospitalised.

NEW DELHI – A 30-year-old property dealer was shot dead in north Delhi by four motorcycle-borne assailants due to personal rivalry, police said Saturday.

Zubair, a resident of Indira Enclave of north Delhi, was shot dead by unidentified four assailants in Aman Vihar area of north Delhi Friday night, Delhi Police officials said.
…. Source article on Gaea Times at : Delhi property dealer shot dead.

NEW DELHI – Two men, who kidnapped a three-year-old boy from Uttar Pradesh and were going to sell him to a buyer in the capital, were arrested in west Delhi, police said Saturday. The boy has been reunited with his mother.

NEW DELHI – Senior officials of Delhi Police will be now available two hours (12 p.m. to 2 p.m.) on all weekdays to personally hear grievances of people, Commissioner of Police B.K. Gupta announced Saturday.

CHANDIGARH – One person was injured when rival groups of students political parties clashed in the hostel of DAV College here, police said Saturday.

According to police, activists of Students’ Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) and another group clashed over a minor issue.
Initially, there was some verbal spat between the students and it …. Read the original article : here.

KOLKATA – Kolkata Police Saturday said their forces and the administration have started conducting raids at several hooch and illegal liquor shops in the city and arrested people for unruly behaviour towards women.

WELLINGTON – An Indian national drowned while board surfing Saturday at Ohope beach in the eastern Bay of Plenty.

The 22-year-old was boogie boarding, a surface water sport, with friends when he and another man, in his early 20s, got into difficulty in the surf just off the beach, TVNZ.co reported Saturday.
The name [..] Read the original article: here.

JAIPUR – In two Rajasthan villages, atrocities against Dalits take place over the flimsiest of reasons – a hen being run over, or a goat straying into the house of another community. The Dalits are now fleeing their homes.

LAKHIMPUR KHERI – In a suspected case of poaching, a young leopard’s carcass was recovered from a forest area here, officials said Monday.

The carcass of a three-year-old male leopard was recovered late Sunday evening from Bira forest range, some 200 km from Lucknow.
The exact cause of the leopard’s death is yet to be [..] Read the original article: here.

PATNA – The deaths in Bihar’s Samastipur district hooch tragedy rose to 11 Monday as two more people died since late Sunday, police said.

At least three people are still battling for life. “They are critical,” a police official said.
Police Sunday arrested 13 people for their involvement with the tragedy. Over 400 pouches of …. Source : Bihar’s hooch tragedy toll rises to 11.

TORONTO – An Indo-Canadian doctor and his colleague have been arrested here for allegedly drugging and raping a young woman in a downtown hotel.

Amitabh Chauhan and Suganthan Kayilasanathan, both 32, who were arrested at the weekend, appeared in a city court Saturday to face charges of drugging and sexual assault. Their bail hearing was … Read more >>.

NEW DELHI – A thief who, along with his accomplices, stole around 250 cars and removed their compressed natural gas (CNG) kits and music systems before dumping the vehicles has been arrested, police said Sunday.

BANDA – In a rare display of courage, a woman who was gangraped by six men here last month managed to grab one of her tormentors with the help of another woman and hauled him to the police station after she spotted him Sunday , police said.

LONDON – The family of an Indian-origin Briton, accused of arranging his bride’s murder during their honeymoon in Cape Town, said they were “deeply shocked” after South Africa’s prosecution chief termed him a “fugitive” and a “murderer” in an emotional outburst.

NEW DELHI – With the arrest of eight bookies, the Delhi Police Sunday claimed to have busted three cricket betting syndicates operating here during Saturday’s World Cup match between India and Bangladesh.

The bookies were dealing in bets to the tune of around Rs.3 crore for the match, according to police.
“While the … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : 8 cricket bookies arrested in Delhi.

AGARTALA – The death of a 26-year-old tribal woman, a candidate of a tribal-based party for the upcoming local body elections, has sparked off ethnic tension in western Tripura, police said here Sunday.

“The father of the victim, Nilima Debbarma, complained to the police that the TSR (Tripura State Rifles) troopers gangraped the victim and [..] Read the original article: here.

KOLKATA – Maoist rebels killed a man in West Bengals West Midnapore district for allegedly being a police spy, police said Sunday.

A bullet-ridden body was recovered Sunday near Sankrail in Jhargram sub-division. The body has been sent for autopsy. We are yet to identify the victim, said West Midnapores Additional Police Superintendent Mukesh Kumar.
… Read more : Maoists kill youth in Bengal.

PATNA – Three days after popular Bhojpuri singer Devi alleged that an acting vice chancellor of a Bihar university misbehaved and attempted to molest her at a cultural function in Gaya district, police began investigation into the case, officials said Tuesday.

AZAMGARH – Two men have been detained for the brutal murder of a government doctor here, police said Tuesday.

Sanjiv Saxena, 42, an orthopaedic surgeon, was found murdered Monday at his residence in Hariharpur area.
Police said Saxena was repeatedly attacked with sharp-edged weapons.
“Injury marks on the doctor’s body indicate that the assailants … Read : Government doctor murdered, two detained.

CHRISTCHURCH – At least 65 people were killed, buildings were flattened, falling debris crushed vehicles and panic-stricken people shrieked in fear as an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude caused the earth to heave in this New Zealand city.

CHRISTCHURCH – A cathedral dating back to 1860 that Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw visited in 1934 and praised its architecture was badly damaged in a massive earthquake that struck this New Zealand city.

Christchurch’s historic cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament on Barbadoes Street half collapsed in the 6.3 magnitude quake that hit the city …. Read the original article : here.

WELLINGTON – A 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch Tuesday in New Zealand’s South Island causing widespread destruction with reports of many deaths.

Police said the quake caused deaths in the central city, including two buses crushed by falling buildings, but released no casualty figures.
There were other reports of bodies being pulled out of buildings and … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Strong quake flattens Christchurch.

CHRISTCHURCH – A massive earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale Tuesday hit New Zealand South Island’s largest city of Christchurch for the second time in less than six months, causing multiple deaths and widespread destruction.

SANT KABIR NAGAR – At least eight people, including five policemen, were injured here Monday night after a mob indulged in arson and vandalism to protest the death of a youth who was hit by a car and dragged for over 10 km, officials said.

NEW DELHI – Two days after a man attacked two women, including his girlfriend of four years after the couple fell out and then tried to commit suicide, the assailant has been arrested, police said Monday.

“Thapa had been hiding at his friend, Sattar Imrans house in the same area after attacking his girlfriend …. Read the original article : here.

NEW DELHI – The Delhi Police Special Cell sleuths have asked Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani to indicate a date when he could meet an investigating officer in connection with a hawala case allegedly linked to him in which four people have been held, police said Monday.

NEW DELHI – The Delhi Police have arrested a proclaimed offender, who has been on the run for three years, from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, officials said Monday.

The man was involved in a series of robbery cases in the capital city.
Sajjad Akhtar (44), who claims to be district president of Uttar Pradesh Bhrastachar …. Read the original article : Delhi police arrest robber on the run.

LAHORE – US official Raymond Davis, who shot dead two men here, has threatened that he would go on hunger strike if his demands, including an early decision on his diplomatic immunity, were not met, a media report said.

DHAKA – A tribal girl, who was a gangrape victim, took her life in a Bangladesh village after one of her alleged rapists who was to marry her as part of a pact brokered by the local Catholic priest ditched her.

CHRISTCHURCH – The New Zealand government Wednesday declared a state of emergency a day after massive earthquake hit the country’s second largest city killing at least 75 people and leaving 300 missing in perhaps the worst disaster in the country’s history.

PANAJI – Zenaida Pereira, wife of a Goan sailor who along with 21 other sailors has been taken hostage by African pirates on an Iranian cargo ship off the coast of Oman, has said she is “praying every hour for the pirates to show some largesse”.

N.K. Mishra, posted in the minorities division of the district administration, was shot Tuesday evening.
Mishra resided in Ghaziabad and commuted to his office in Surajpur collectorate. After finishing the …. Read the original article : Government employee shot dead outside office.

PANAJI – It is being called the “ice cream expose”! Strict action has been promised against three policemen who shared an ice cream with a murder accused in Goa and were caught in the act by the local media.

WELLINGTON – Three hundred people are missing and 75 bodies have been recovered from the quake ravaged New Zealand city of Christchurch, local authorities said Wednesday.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said there were now 55 identified bodies at a morgue, which had been set up at local military base. Another 20 bodies had been recovered, …. Read the original article : here.

CHRISTCHURCH – A mother died with her baby in her arms as she reportedly tried to run out of a store in panic in a shopping district when the devastating 6.3 magnitude quake struck this New Zealand city.

WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Tuesday strongly condemned the killing of four Americans by pirates off Somalia, calling for “continued international progress” toward confronting the menace posed by piracy, Xinhua reported.

ALIGARH – A teenager here immolated herself after a youth tried to rape her, police said Tuesday. The accused is absconding.

The 19-year-old girl, who was a native of Quarsi town died Tuesday – a day after she had set herself ablaze after her 20-year-old neighbour tried to rape her.
“The girl had over 70 …. Source : Gaea News Network.

WASHINGTON – Pirates killed four Americans Tuesday aboard a captured yacht off the coast of Somalia, the US military said.

The US Navy had been trailing the yacht, the S/V Quest, since Friday, when it was hijacked by the pirates, who took the four Americans hostage.
The navy stormed the vessel after detecting gunfire and [..] Read the original article: here.

CHANDIGARH – The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the mini-parliament of Sikh religion, Tuesday rejected the Haryana government’s move to seek a report from a divisional commissioner into an alleged massacre of Sikhs in Rewari district during riots in 1984.

JALGAON – A policeman was arrested for killing a farmer in this Maharashtra district Tuesday, police said. An eyewitness alleged that the farmer died after the policeman beat him up. The incident sparked violent protests by residents.

KOLKATA – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Tuesday officially took over investigation into the Jan 7 Netai village shootings in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district, in which nine people were killed and several others injured.

“We took over the case from West Bengal Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) this (Tuesday) evening. An officer of …. Read the original article : CBI takes over Netai carnage case.

NEW DELHI – A man evading arrest in murder and other heinous cases in Uttar Pradesh and staying in the capital for the last 20 years under a fake identity has been arrested in south Delhi, police said Tuesday.

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court was told Tuesday that the right to love and marriage was a part of the fundamental right to live and the Kolkata policemen who allegedly acted in its violation in the Rizwanur Rehman-Priyanka Todi inter-religious marriage should be punished.

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Tuesday was told that the right to love and marriage was a part of the fundamental right to live and Kolkata policemen who allegedly acted in its violation in the Rizwanur Rahman-Priyanka Todi inter-religious marriage case should be punished.

NEW DELHI – Lalit Bhanot, the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee secretary general arrested Wednesday by the CBI, Thursday reiterated that he has done nothing wrong and all the decisions were taken collectively by the Organising Committee’s board.

KATHMANDU – A hunt is on in the southern plains of Nepal adjoining the Indian border as well as the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh for a ‘tantrik’ – regarded by traditional society as a man with supernatural powers – who abducted a seven-year-old girl.

DHAKA – A Roman Catholic priest and nine other tribal Christians have been detained for their role in an out-of-court settlement of a gangrape case that caused the girl to commit suicide when the promised marriage did not come through.

Police have claimed that Father Bernard Tudu and others “provoked” the 14-year-old into a …. Source : Gaea News Network.

CHRISTCHURCH – The devastating earthquake that rattled New Zealand’s second largest city Tuesday claimed 98 lives, while a total of 226 people were missing Thursday with least hope for any survivors beneath the tonnes of rubble of wrecked buildings.

LUCKNOW – At least two labourers were killed and nine injured after a massive fire broke out in a plywood factory here Thursday, police said.

The fire engulfed the Kiran Plywood Factory in an industrial area of Talkatora locality.
“While a labourer died on the spot, another succumbed to his injuries while being treated at …. Source : Two killed in Lucknow factory fire.

PATNA – A case has been lodged against the acting vice chancellor of a Bihar university after a Bhojpuri singer complained that he misbehaved and attempted to molest her at a cultural function in Gaya district, police said Thursday.

Rome, Feb 24 (IANs/AKI) Pope Benedict XVI Wednesday offered prayers and condolences to the scores of people who perished in the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. His thoughts were also dedicated to the families of the dead.

LOS ANGELES – A female anti-immigrant vigilante has been sentenced to death in Arizona for orchestrating a raid on the house of a family of Hispanic-Americans in which a man and his young daughter were murdered.

NEW DELHI – A jeweller was shot dead and robbed of valuables worth lakhs of rupees in the national capital Wednesday, police said.

The incident took place at Lal Quarter market in Krishna Nagar of east Delhi.
Gaurav Gambhir, 30, died on the spot, police said.
The victim was in his jewellery shop …. Source : Jeweller shot dead in Delhi.

ISLAMABAD – Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, who was arrested at the Delhi airport for carrying undeclared foreign currency, is contemplating legal action against the Indian authorities for allegedly confiscating his money.

NEW DELHI – A 44-year-old man, accused of duping around 1,000 investors to the tune of several crores of rupees, committed suicide by leaping off the roof of his office in west Delhi, police said Wednesday.

NEW DELHI – Lalit Bhanot and V.K. Verma, two close aides of Commonwealth Games (CWG) chief organiser Suresh Kalmadi, were arrested Wednesday for irregularities to the tune of Rs.1.07 billion ($23 million) in a contract with a Swiss company for time-keeping equipment during the Oct 3-14, 2010 event, officials said.

NEW DELHI – A constable in the Delhi Police saved the life of his senior, a sub inspector, when an automobile thief tried to shoot him, police said Wednesday.

“When the police intercepted a vehicle thief, Rahul, during patrolling near Modi Mill flyover Tuesday, Rahul took out a country-made pistol and tried to shoot …. Original article on Gaea Times at : Constable saves senior’s life in capital.

WELLINGTON – Rebuilding quake-ravaged Christchurch is set to cost more than $7 billion, the New Zealand government said Friday.

Tuesday’s 6.3-magnitude earthquake destroyed large parts of the city with 113 bodies so far pulled from the rubble.
Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee said the cost of rebuilding his home town after two major earthquakes in …. Source article : New Zealand counts rebuilding costs after quakes.

NOIDA – A leading businessman was kidnapped from Noida, on the outskirts of Delhi, and the abductors want Rs.1 crore for his release, police said Friday.

The incident came to light Thursday night when the ransom call was tracked by police.
Saurabh Jain deals in electrical appliances while his wife runs a printing press in …. Source article : Businessman kidnapped in Noida.

Ciudad Juarez, Feb 25 (IANS/EFE) Over 7,000 killings in Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, bordering America’s Texas state, in the past three years have left nearly 8,500 children orphaned, a senior state official said.

GANDHINAGAR – Pimps, who charge a commission to get customers for prostitutes, cannot be made to face charges related to abetment to seduction, the Gujarat High Court has held, while offering relief to one.

FATEHGARH SAHIB – The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the mini-parliament of Sikh religion, Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking a judicial probe into the alleged massacre of Sikhs at a village in Haryana’s Rewari district during the 1984 riots.

“Haryana police and government have failed to arrest the culprits behind the …. Source : Gaea News Network.

NEW DELHI – A man and his associate were arrested for murdering his girlfriend’s husband in south Delhi, police said Thursday.

Sandeep Sharma, 30, was intimate with the deceased Gaurav Gupta’s wife and along with his associate Aman Kumar, 22, killed the victim, the police said.
“They picked up the victim from Saket area Feb …. Read the original article : here.

NEW DELHI – Three people were arrested for allegedly attempting to rape a woman and her niece in west Delhi Thursday, police said.

“Sanjeev, Monu and Sunil were held from Kanjhawala area in west Delhi. The victims, a 32-year-old woman and her 22-year-old niece, who stay at Sharda JJ Colony, have said that the incident …. Source article : Three held for attempt to rape.

NEW DELHI – Over two weeks after the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University was rocked by the emergence of a video clip showing two of its students in a compromising position, the Delhi Police Thursday lodged a first information report (FIR) in the case.

NEW DELHI – A day after a 30-year-old jeweller was shot dead while resisting a robbery attempt in east Delhi, hundreds of local residents took to the streets Thursday to protest against growing crime in the area.

GENEVA – The UN’s refugee agency said Thursday that 54 Somalis had drowned while trying to flee their war-torn country for the relative safety of Yemen.

Three other people on board were smugglers and also died when the small boat capsized, the agency said. Only one person survived the accident, which occurred Sunday, swimming for … Original source on Gaea Times at : 54 Somalis die in boat accident: UN.

NEW DELHI – A Delhi court Thursday sent Lalit Bhanot and V.K. Verma, former high ranking officials of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) Organising Committee, to five days’ CBI custody in connection with financial lapses in a contract with a Swiss company.

RANCHI – A day after two of his close aides and senior officials of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee were arrested, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president and MP Suresh Kalmadi Thursday demanded a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe in the Games scam to ensure an “impartial” inquiry.

RANCHI – Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Suresh Kalmadi Thursday questioned why the investigating agencies were calling only the organising committee (OC) officials in their probe into the Commonwealth Games (CWG) scam.

CHRISTCHURCH – The toll in a devastating quake in New Zealand’s second largest city of Christchurch Saturday rose to 145 and officials feared the number may rise further.

“We expect that number to rise,” said Superintendent David Cliff. The number of missing people remains at more than 200, he said.
A 6.3 magnitude quake … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : New Zealand quake toll rises to 145 (Second Lead).

MUMBAI – An embarrassed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Saturday suspended party legislator Dilip Wagh, who is accused of raping a 22-year-old woman, an official said.

An NCP spokesperson here confirmed Wagh’s suspension but declined to comment on the issue further.
Wagh, the legislator from Pachora in Jalgaon district, and his secretary Mahesh Mali have been …. Source : Gaea News Network.

ALLAHABAD – A major fire broke out in a warehouse of the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) here Saturday morning, gutting machinery and equipment worth around Rs.50 lakh, an official said. No casualty was reported.

Eight fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the fire at the warehouse of UPPCL in Bamrauli area.
…. Source : Gaea News Network.

CHRISTCHURCH – The toll in a devastating earthquake in New Zealand’s second largest city of Christchurch Saturday rose to 123 as rescuers worked feverishly to look for 200 people who were still missing.

Police said the toll is expected to rise further.
Superintendent Dave Cliff told a media conference Saturday morning that 123 people had … Original source on Gaea Times at : 123 dead, 200 missing in New Zealand quake.

NEW YORK – Two Indian American diamond merchants have been arrested on charges of staging a robbery straight out of the movie “Snatch” in which two men disguised as Hasidic Jews made off with $10 million worth of jewels.

PARIS – Three hostages kidnapped more than five months ago in Niger near a uranium mine exploited by the French nuclear energy firm Areva have been released, the French government said.

Media reports Friday said the trio includes the ill French wife of a still missing Areva employee. The other two released hostages were said … Original source on Gaea Times at : Three hostages freed in Niger.

NEW DELHI – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Friday arrested the chairman-cum-managing director of the National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO) A.K. Srivastava and his wife for allegedly accepting bribe.

CHANDIGARH – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) here has booked Punjab National Bank’s senior officials, including a former chief manager, and a couple for hatching a criminal conspiracy, cheating and embezzling public funds.

CHANDIGARH – Rash driving has claimed three lives, including that of a child, here since Friday, police said Sunday.

A 21-year-old student was killed in a road accident after his car, which he was driving at 150 km per hour, rammed into a roadside tree in the neighbouring Mohali town Saturday.
The deceased was identified …. Read the original article : Rash driving kills three in Chandigarh.

CHANDIGARH – Two people were arrested here with nearly 5,000 pirated CDs and VCDs of movies and music albums, police said Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off, they laid a trap and nabbed the men late Saturday from Sector 17, the commercial hub of this union territory.
“Rajinder Singh and Sanjay Kumar are residents of Sector … Original source on Gaea Times at : Two held with 5,000 pirated CDs in Chandigarh.

CHRISTCHURCH – Twenty students are among the 25 Chinese missing following the devastating earthquake in this New Zealand city, a media report said Sunday.

A list of the names of the missing Chinese was released by the Chinese embassy Saturday, the China Daily reported.
The students are from the King’s Education Ltd., an …. Source : 25 Chinese missing in New Zealand quake.

CHRISTCHURCH – New Zealand Prime Minister John Key Sunday announced the launch of a fundraising event as the death toll in the devastating Christchurch earthquake rose to 147, the media said.

Police Superintendent Dave Cliff said more than 200 people, including a police officer, were still missing, the New Zealand Herald reported. The officer confirmed …. Read the original article : New Zealand quake toll is 147.

AGARTALA – A policeman was killed and 15 political activists and a police official were injured in Tripura late Saturday night as supporters of ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and a tribal party clashed during counting of votes of local bodies’ elections, police said.

“Supporters of the CPI-M and Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura … Read more »»».

LUCKNOW – Simultaneous raids over the past three days by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at more than half a dozen cities across India have unearthed immovable properties worth about Rs.100 crore owned by an Uttar Pradesh government chief engineer, officials said Saturday.

BHUBANESHWAR – A.K. Srivastava, chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) of the National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO), was suspended Saturday, a day after he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly accepting a bribe, a company official said.

KOLKATA – The three main accused in the killing of a youth, after he protested their abusive language against his sister, were arrested Saturday in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, police said. Another man arrested earlier was freed after his innocence was proved.

KOLKATA – Two children in West Bengals West Midnapore district sustained serious injuries Saturday when crude bombs kept in a plastic bag in front of a Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) party office went off, police said.

“Two children were admitted to Midnapore Medical College and hospital. We are investigating how the bombs came there, … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Two children injured in bomb blast.

JODHPUR – A Jodhpur police team is in Madhya Pradeshs Indore town to quiz the manufacturer of the IV fluids which are suspected to have caused the death of at least 12 pregnant women in a hospital here due to contamination, officials said Saturday.

MORADABAD – Passengers on the Avadh-Assam Express had a providential escape after the train’s three coaches derailed here Saturday, officials said.

The cause behind the derailment, which subsequently damaged several metres of the railway tracks, is yet to be established.
“All the passengers are safe. We have initiated an enquiry to know the reason behind …. Read the original article : here.

HYDERABAD – Two people were killed and two injured Monday when police opened fire to quell violent protests against a controversial thermal power plant in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, police said.

AIZAWL – Mizoram Police arrested a postmaster who was fleeing to neighbouring Myanmar with Rs.13.50 lakh meant to be disbursed for work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), police said here Monday.

CHRISTCHURCH – Five-month-old Baxtor Gowland who was named the youngest victim of the Christchurch earthquake was laid to rest Monday, a media report said.

Gowland was born Sep 17 last year, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Last week, he was named as the youngest confirmed victim of the 6.3 strength quake that hit this New … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Youngest victim of New Zealand quake laid to rest.

La Paz, Feb 28 (IANS/EFE) Nearly 800 Bolivian families became homeless after intense rains caused 250 homes to collapse in the capital city of La Paz, but there have been no reports of any casualties, an official said.

JODHPUR – A manager of a firm which allegedly manufactured the contaminated IV fluids responsible for the deaths of at least 12 pregnant women at a government hospital here was detained in Indore town of Madhya Pradesh Sunday, police said.

A team of Jodhpur police officers who went to Indore to probe the case detained … Read more >>>.

NEW DELHI – Hours after celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary, a wife was smothered to death by her husband who was tired of their constant quarrels and fights, police said Sunday. The man has been arrested.

GHAZIABAD – Police Sunday arrested four businessmen from Ghaziabad for taking bets on the India-England World Cup cricket match and recovered around Rs.150,000 from them along with a cache of communication equipment.

In the raid conducted Sunday evening, the police also recovered a router equipped with a broadband connection with their betting counterparts in Dubai, …. Source : Gaea News Network.

KOLKATA – A huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from a pump house in an agricultural field in West Bengal’s Burdwan district, police said.

“Acting on a tip off, we raided Zahid Sheikh’s pump house at Ketugram and recovered 11 firearms, four pistols, two muskets, 60 box bombs, 40 kg of gunpowder, four …. Original article : Huge cache of arms recovered in Bengal.

KOLKATA – Nearly 200 imported live cartridges were found on the banks of a roadside pond in West Bengal’s North 24 Paraganas district Sunday, police said.

“Nine cases, each containing 20 rounds of imported bullets of different types, were recovered from an abandoned packet dumped on the bank of a pond near Rajarhat in the …. Read the original article : here.

NEW DELHI – The question papers of an all-India examination for posts of 375 assistant administrative officers in the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) were leaked, police said Sunday. A youth, allegedly selling them for Rs.5 lakh each, was arrested.

KOLKATA – The engine and 11 compartments of the Puri-bound Neelachal Express derailed Sunday in Orissa after it hit a road roller that had entered the railway track at an unmanned level crossing. The road roller driver was critically injured.